Swarm of the Century
by Dede42
Summary: While Twilight and Sunrise work on getting Ponyville ready for a visit from Princess Celestia, Fluttershy discovers an unusual and cute flying puffball creature, which is called a Parasprite, that multiples every time it eats, and as the town gets overwhelmed by the Parasprites, Pinkie Pie keeps gathering up random instruments for some reason. Will Ponyville be destroyed?
1. Chapter 1: CUTE PUFFBALLS!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Swarm of the Century

A/N: (Dede42 opens the door to head outside to the writers studio when she almost runs into Applejack.)

Dede42: Whoa! I didn't expect to see you, Applejack.

Applejack: Hey, Dede42, I thought I would stop by to deliver some apples and see what's going on with Discord and Thanos.

Dede42: Well, I- (she stops when she hears a strange purring sound coming from inside the house) You hear that?

Applejack: Yeah, where's it coming from?

(Dede42 and Applejack enter the house and follow the purring sound into the kitchen, where Blackbelt98, Dede42's youngest sister, is about to feed a purple puffballs that has wings and four legs.)

Dede42: Blackbelt98, where did you find that thing?

Blackbelt98: Isn't he the cutest thing? I found him hanging around the beehives out back.

Dede42: I see. (She whispers to Applejack) Find Pinkie Pie and get her here stat.

Applejack: On it.

(Applejack quickly leaves while Dede42 turns her attention back to her sister.)

Dede42: Um, you _know_ that's a parasprite right?

Blackbelt98: (looks between her sister and the parasprite) Uh oh. I just fed him.

Dede42: You did-? (she gets cut off when the parasprite starts reproducing rapidly)

PSA: Due to an unexpected outbreak of parapsrites, todays Author's Notes has been cut off until further notice. Sorry for the interruption.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE: CUTE PUFFBALLS!**

It was a bright sunny day and everypony in Ponyville were busy getting everything ready for tomorrow when Princess Celestia would be paying a visit. Out in one of the fields near the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy and her animal friends were busy gathering flowers and placing them in a basket on her back.

She was singing as she trotted about, gathering the most beautiful flowers that she could find and turned when a squirrel tugged on her tail, smiling when she saw that he was offering her a stem covered with dandelion seeds. "Thank you little squirrel, but remember: these flowers are for Princess Celestia," she reminded him politely as a breeze blew the seeds away. "Only the prettiest ones will do." She giggled as the bashful squirrel headed off to find a flower, and she went on collecting flowers. "La, la la, la la, la la, la la."

Fluttershy eventually reached a stump that had a basket of apples on it that she was going to share with her animal friends when something let out a chirp that made her yelp and jump behind the basket, hiding while the basket of flowers went flying. She nervously peered from behind the basket as a small ball-shaped creature came out from behind a nearby rock: it was blue with dragonfly wings, and four small black legs.

"Hello, little guy," Fluttershy said, coming out of hiding as it chirped again. "I've never seen anything like you before." She watched as it flew around her to sniff at a red apple lying on the ground. "Oh, are you hungry?" she asked and carefully crushed the apple to pulp with her hoof. "Here you go." She gasped when it suddenly consumed all of the apples in the basket. "I guess you _were_ hungry."

The creature then flew over to her, nuzzled her cheek before nestling itself into her mane, purring like a cat. "You're the cutest thing _ever_!" Fluttershy squealed. "I can't wait to show you to my friends." And she hurried toward the town, eager to introduce the strange creature to her friends.

* * *

Meanwhile in the library, Twilight Sparkle was frantically dusting the shelves while Spike was struggling to gather up the various books that were scattered all over the floor, and she was worried that they wouldn't be ready in time for Princess Celestia's visit.

"Oh! Hurry up, Spike!" she exclaimed. "This place isn't gonna clean itself."

"It also didn't mess itself up," Spike muttered, stacking some books and carried them to the nearest ladder.

Twilight Sparkle ran past, still dusting frantically. "Princess Celestia will be here tomorrow!"

"I thought this was just an unofficial _casual_ visit," Spike reminded her while climbing up the ladder.

"There's nothing casual about a visit from royalty," Twilight Sparkle scolded, turning to face him. "I want this place to be spotless, and you've barely made a dent in the clutter."

"Maybe you should, ugh," Spike grunted as he tried to put the books on the top shelf "start reading them one at a time- whoa ho!" He yelped and fell back onto the floor, being buried by the books, and sat up with a glum expression and a single book on his head. "Aw."

Twilight Sparkle was relieved to see that he was all right, but she was still worried about not being ready for the royal visit. "Everything's got to be perfect," she insisted. "No time for fooling around."

Spike got up and removed the book from his head. "You know, this would be an awful lot easier if there weren't two of us here getting under each other's feet," he suggested.

"Great idea," Twilight Sparkle agreed, giving him the duster while heading for the door. "You clean, I'll go see how everyone else's preparations are coming."

"Or maybe I should…" the baby dragon began and groaned when she shut the door behind her.

* * *

Exiting the library, Twilight Sparkle checked on the progress of the decorations that the ponies were putting up all over town, nodding in approval, and then she did a double-take when she reached the welcome sign that was being put up.

"What happened to the rest of her name?" she asked, frowning since the sign said _"Welcome Princess Celest"_.

"We couldn't fit it all in," Golden Harvest confessed sheepishly.

"You can't hang a banner that says "Welcome Princess _Celest_ "," Twilight Sparkle scolded. "Take it down and try again." She went on her way while the two ponies sighed and took the sign down to try again. " _That_ looks perfect," she told one of the ponies, who was watering the flowers. "Keep up the good work."

* * *

In the Apothecary, Sunrise Blossom was in her workroom, working on a batch of firework potions when her twin sister trotted inside. "Hey, sis, will be with you in just a _minute_ ," she said, carefully pouring a small amount of dried fire-flower petals into a bottle with the bubbling potion, and then quickly put in a stopper to keep it from going off. "There, that's the last of them."

"Fantastic," said Twilight Sparkle. "I was stopping by to see if you had the firework potions ready, and you've got them all done."

Sunrise Blossom winked. "Well, I know how important it is to have everything ready, Twi," she remarked, putting the ingredients away. "How are the rest of the preparations going?"

"Except for the welcome sign goof, everything is going great," her twin replied. "Want to help me check on the rest of the preparations?"

"Sure."

* * *

After making sure that Rosemary had plenty of food and locking up the Apothecary, the twins went over to Sugarcube Corner to check on the food and found Mr. Cake taking a pie out of one of the ovens and Mrs. Cake was busy frosting a cake.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cake," Twilight Sparkle greeted them. "How's the banquet coming?"

Mrs. Cake flushed, looking over at a table that had all kinds of baked goods – which were half-eaten. "Uh…it would be coming a little better if…"

Pinkie Pie popped up from behind the table took a large bite out of a completed chocolate cake and the crown decoration fell off to land on her head. "Mmm…" she said, slurping some frosting off her mouth.

"Celestia, give us strength," Sunrise Blossom groaned, covering her face with her hoof. "Mrs. Cake, I thought you sent Pinkie Pie out with a _long_ shopping list so you both could get the food ready," she said, having hoped to avoid this particular problem.

"We did, but Pinkie finished it sooner then we thought she would," Mr. Cake answered sheepishly.

Twilight Sparkle stalked over to the pink pony, who was eying a strawberry cheesecake. " _Pinkie_!" she snapped. "What are you doing? Those sweets are supposed to be for the princess."

"I know," said Pinkie Pie in her usual cheerful manner and seemed oblivious to the exasperated looks that the Cakes and the twins were giving her. "That's why I'm tasting them. Somepony needs to make sure that everything is tasty enough to touch the royal tongue, and I, Pinkie Pie, declare that these treats are fit for a _king_ , or a _queen_ , or a _princess_." And she managed to take a large bite out of the cheesecake before they could stop her.

Fluttershy rushed into the shop with an excited expression. "Twilight, Sunrise, Pinkie, you won't believe…" she trailed off when she detected the tension, "oh, I'm sorry. Uh, am I interrupting?"

"No, not at all," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "Come on in and make yourself at home. What's going on, Fluttershy?"

Smiling once again, Fluttershy straightened up. "You won't believe what I found at the edge of the Everfree Forest," she informed them and then nodded to a section of her mane. "Come on out, little guy. It's okay." And the blue creature came out, purring and chirping, followed by a yellow one and a gray one! "Three?" she gasped, wondering where the yellow creature and the gray creature had come from.

"They're _amazing_ ," said Twilight Sparkle, moving closer since they were different from any creature she'd ever seen or read about. "What are they?"

"I'm not sure," Fluttershy admitted. "I'm also not sure where these other two came from."

Sunrise Blossom peered at the creatures and giggled when the yellow creature nuzzled her. "Ooh, that tickles!"

"I'll take one off your hooves," Twilight Sparkle offered as the gray creature landed on her hoof. "I've never seen anything so… _adorable_. Besides, it'll be nice to have a companion for Spike so he won't bother me so much while I'm studying."

"Pinkie, do you want the other one?" Fluttershy asked, even though it looked like the yellow one had already taken a liking to Sunrise Blossom.

Pinkie Pie, however, made a disgusting face. "Ugh! A Parasprite? _Are you kidding_?" she scoffed, steering clear of the three flying creatures as she made her way toward the door.

" _Ugh_?" Fluttershy repeated, confused.

"A para- _what_?" Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom echoed, exchanging confused looks.

Fluttershy looked between the pink pony and the blue Parasprite. "How could you not like…?"

"Ugh," said Pinkie Pie again. "Now I gotta go find a _trombone_."

"A _what_?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. "A trombone, you know…" and she imitated playing a trombone.

"We _know_ what a trombone is, Pinkie, _why_ do you need one?" Sunrise Blossom asked exasperated and sighed when the pink pony left instead of answering. "Oh boy."

Twilight Sparkle decided not to worry about their odd friend. "Ahhh, typical Pinkie." And the three Parasprites all purred.

* * *

Over at Carousel Boutique, Rarity was busy working on dresses for the royal visit tomorrow, and she currently had her hooves full in trying to get her model, which happen to Rainbow Dash, to stand still long enough to finish up the outfit that she'd managed to get the blue pegasus to wear: it was pink with gold, gold boots, and a fancy tall wig. "Stand still, Rainbow Dash," she scolded through a mouthful of pins.

"Ugh, I _caaan't_ , I need to _flyyy_!" Rainbow Dash complained, wondering how her friend managed to talk her into this in the first place. "This is _waaay_ too boring for me." And she tried to take off.

Rarity, however, stepped on her friend's tail to keep her in place. " _Do_ you want to look nice for Princess Celestia or not?" she demanded.

Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom both entered the boutique and while the orange unicorn was trying and failing to not laugh at the sight of the blue pegasus' outfit, her twin was admiring the completed outfits. "Wow. Rarity, those outfits are gorgeous."

"Mmhmm. Thank you, Twilight," Rarity said graciously. "Nice to know _somepony_ appreciates my talents." And she shot the blue pegasus a look.

"Ugh, _sooo boooring,_ " Rainbow Dash complained, trying to free her tail, and stopped when she heard a chirping sound coming from the twins.

Even Rarity heard the chirping. "Huh?"

"What's that sound, Twilight? Sunrise?" Rainbow Dash asked, and her jaw dropped when three Parasprites came out of Twilight Sparkle's mane and three more came out of Sunrise Blossom's mane, each different colors. "Wow, what are they?" she asked, intrigued.

"The better question is, where did they come from?" Twilight Sparkle wondered, seeing the gray one she'd adopted earlier. "I only had one a minute ago."

"I only had one a minute ago, too," Sunrise Blossom agreed, perplexed. _'Did they reproduce while we were walking? But how?'_

Rainbow Dash flew over and caught one of the Parasprites in her hooves. "Uh, I'll take one."

"Me too, oh, they're perfect," Rarity agreed, joining her friends and admired the beautiful colors of the Parasprites.

Pinkie Pie entered the shop just then, looking at her friends. "Does anypony know where I can find an accordion?" she asked and she groaned in frustration when she saw that they were cooing over the six Parasprites. "Girls! _Hello_! This is important," she called out, but they ignored her. "Durgh! Thanks a lot." And she stormed off to look for instruments, including an accordion.

* * *

A/N: Until the Parasprite crisis has been resolved, there will be no Author's Notes until next time. R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: MULTIPLE TROUBLE!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Swarm of the Century

A/N: Discord here speaking on the behalf of Dede42, who is currently supervising the removal of the Parasprites with the help of Wallace, his pet dog, Timon, Pumbaa, and Pinkie Pie with her many instruments. She wanted me to clarify that her sister, Blackbet98, doesn't write fanfics, but she has been know to read them on and off, and she forgot about how quickly Parasprites can reproduce. Also, I get to show you where Thanos is currently, along with the fake Infinity Gauntlet.

(Cutscene to Nottingham, where Thanos is trying to shake Prince John and Sir Hiss out of a tree when Discord pops up.)

Discord: Have fun, guys?

Prince John and Sir Hiss: _Help!_

Thanos: Give me that glove or so help me, I'll rip this tree out of the ground!

Discord: Now, now, we can't have _that_. (he snaps his fingers and the Infinity Gauntlet disappears from Prince John's clutches.)

Prince John: Hey!

Thanos: (stalks toward the spirit of chaos) Discord, _where_ is my Gauntlet?!

Discord (summons a portal) If you go through this portal, Thanos, then you will find your _precious_ Gauntlet.

(Thanos charges through the portal and finds himself on a hillside overlooking a certain labyrinth and Jareth appears next to him.)

Jareth: Greeting, Thanos, the Mad Titan.

Thanos: Who are you, where is this place, and where is my Gauntlet?

Jareth: I am Jareth, the Goblin King, and you are in my realm. As for your Gauntlet, it is currently residing in my castle. (he points to the castle that is in the middle of the labyrinth) If you want it back, then you need to solve the labyrinth first.

Thanos: (smirks) Well, that shouldn't be too difficult. (He starts down the hill when he is magically yank back to the Goblin King's side, and gold cuffs appear on his wrists.) What are these?

Jareth: Those are to ensure that you do not try to brute force your way through the labyrinth. You are in _my_ kingdom and are bound by _my_ rules. Normally, I would give you thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth, but I've decided there won't be any time limit for the likes of you, Thanos.

Thanos: I'll show you brute force! (He raises his fist, only to have the cuffs glow brightly, and he drops to his knees due to intense pain.) _Agh!_

Jareth: If you try to force your way through the labyrinth, Thanos, you _will_ be punished. Good luck. (He disappears.)

(When the pain fades, Thanos struggles to his feet, glares at the cuffs, and then he heads down the hill toward the labyrinth.)

(Cutscene back to Discord.)

As you can see, Thanos is going to be busy for a while trying to solve that labyrinth.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO: MULTIPLE TROUBLE!**

By the time night fell, the ponies were all exhausted from the preparations, and when Twilight Sparkle got back to the library with her Parasprite, Spike had finished cleaning the entire library. She was delighted and she smiled when she saw the Parasprite and Spike get along easily. After tucking them into the bed, she thought about the things that still needed to be done, and she sighed.

"The decorations, the banquet, I really hope everything comes together in time for tomorrow," she muttered, feeling conflicted and then she glanced over at the sleeping baby dragon and the sleeping Parasprite in their basket. "Oh," she yawned, "what's there to worry about?" And she went to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Twilight Sparkle was awoken by loud chirping, and when she opened her eyes, she gasped when she saw that there were multiple Parasprites flying all over the place, and she fell out of her bed in shock. "Spike!" she shouted, running over to the still-sleeping dragon, who was sharing his bed with Parasprites, two of which were on top of his eyelids. "Wake up! What happened?"

"Huh?" Spike asked groggily when he woke up and yelped when he couldn't see anything. "Whaaa!" He yanked the Parasprites off his eyes and looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"

Twilight Sparkle shrugged. "Where did they come from?"

"I don't know," Spike admitted. "The little guy got hungry in the night, so I gave him a snack, but… I have no idea where these others came from." He jumped out of bed when the Parasprites flew down and began knocking books and scrolls off the shelves. "Oh no! They're messing up all my hard work!"

"The princess will be here in a few hours," said Twilight Sparkle, magically snatching up the duster, and she went after the Parasprites with Spike trying to stuff them all into a basket. "Spike, help me round up these little guys."

"Ugh, what does it look like I'm doin'?" Spike grumbled, stumbling around with a basket filled with Parasprites, and despite his best efforts, he ended up falling down and getting buried by the puffballs. "Ooow, waaah!" He blinked when she dusted the Parasprites away, and he sighed. "D'oh. I know, I know, "stop fooling around"."

* * *

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was sleeping in her cloud house when several Parasprites popped out of her bed, waking her up. "Huh? Huh?!" She yelped when even more Parasprites popped up, trying to cling to her. "Get off me!" she shouted, trying to shake them off several times before flying fleeing with them chasing after her. "Waaa!"

* * *

In town, Sunrise Blossom was sleeping in her bed when there was a sudden commotion of loud chirping and cat hisses downstairs. Startled awake, she fell out of her bed and had to untangle herself from her blankets before heading downstairs to find out what was going on. When she reached the main floor, she was alarmed to see that it was filled with an unknown number of Parasprites and poor Rosemary was hiding under the counter, hissing and swatting at any of the puffballs that got too close.

"What in Equestria is going on here?!" Sunrise Blossom yelped as she magically got out a number of bags and went to work on trying to capture all of the Parasprites before they managed to do any serious damage to the Apothecary.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rarity didn't mind that there were a large number of Parasprites in her shop since they were all assisting her with her work. "Not only are you adorable, but you're also quite useful," she complimented to a yellow Parasprite, which purred in response before it let out a grunt of pain. "Oh! Are you okay?" she asked, concerned and then screamed when it spat out a brown gunk that collided with her eye. "Aaah!" She quickly wiped it off and gasped when it shaped itself into a ball and became a new Parasprite. " _Eewww_ ," she squealed in disgust and screamed when the new Parasprite also coughed up gunk to create another Parasprite. "Aaah! Gross gross _gross_! No creature that behaves so revoltingly is allowed in my boutique!" And as more Parasprites were being created, she went to work on magically stuffing them into her saddlebags as quickly as she could.

* * *

A few hours later, Pinkie Pie trotted up to the boutique, just as Rarity hurried out with her saddlebags stuffed full of Parasprites, and they nearly collided. "Look Rarity, Applejack loaned me a harmonica," she revealed and played a few notes on the instrument. Isn't that great?" she asked and gasped when one of the Parasprites chirped from inside the bag. "And not a moment too soon."

Rarity tried to move around the pink pony, determined to get rid of the Parasprites. "Ugh, Pinkie, I'm a little busy right now."

"And I'm _not_?" said Pinkie Pie, blocking her friend's way. "You know how many more instruments I've gotta find? _A lot_ , that's how many. Now if we split the list between us, we might just make it in time."

" _Please_ , Pinkie, I don't have time for some silly scavenger hunt," Rarity snapped. "I've got a _real_ problem." And she hurried away.

"You've got a real problem, all right," Pinkie Pie agreed. "And a banjo is the only answer!" And she hurried off to find said instrument.

* * *

Rarity raced down the path and nearly ran into Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom, and they both had bugling bags fill with chirping Parasprites. "I see we're having the same problem," she remarked.

"Ditto!" Rainbow Dash screamed, flying past with the Parasprites on her tail.

"Now that we've caught these darn things, _what_ are we going to do with them before they reproduce again?" Sunrise Blossom wondered. "I just barely managed to keep them from going after the firework potions."

"Fluttershy knows _everything_ about animals," said Twilight Sparkle, "I'm sure she can tell us how to stop them from multiplying." And they all ran along the path until they reached the house of their friend, but when Rarity opened the door, a flood of Parasprites came out, nearly running them over. "…or not."

* * *

After gaining access to the house, Twilight Sparkle, Sunrise Blossom, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash stared in horror at the sight of the multiple Parasprites that were flying around the interior and poor Fluttershy was trying to stop them without any real luck.

"Ugh, do something Fluttershy, can't you control them?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I've tried everything I know," Fluttershy confessed, ducking as one of the Parasprites flew past with her frying pan. "I've tried begging, and pleading, and beseeching, and asking politely and…" she trailed off and shrugged.

"Guh," Rainbow Dash groaned, wondering how this day could get any worst.

Twilight Sparkle, however, was imaging Princess Celestia arriving in Ponyville, only to be engulfed by the Parasprites and carried off, screaming. "If we can't get them under control before the princess arrives, it'll be a total disaster," she moaned.

Rarity cringed when one of the Parasprites hacked up gunk that turned into a new Parasprite. "Ew! If you ask me, it's already a total disaster."

Just then, Applejack arrived with a cart filled with apples. "Here's all those apples you wanted, Fluttershy, but I still can't figure why y'need so many," she remarked, yelping when the Parasprites suddenly consumed the apples. "Hey!"

"What do we do?" Fluttershy wondered fearfully.

Twilight Sparkle thought for a moment and then she got an idea. "I got it! Nopony can herd like Applejack."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash agreed. "We can drive 'em back into the forest."

Applejack unhooked herself from the wagon and scoffed. "I'll rastle 'em up, but I need everypony's help to do it," she informed them. "Twilight, you, Sunrise, and Rarity wait over there. I'll herd the little critters straight at ya like a funnel. Rainbow Dash, you and Fluttershy stay on top of 'em, don't let 'em fly away."

Rainbow Dash saluted as they all got into their positions. "Aye aye."

"Yeeeeeee-haw!" Applejack called out and she began herding the Parasprites, which were screeching as she and her friends herded them all into a large ball, and then they started rolling the ball down the path toward the Everfree Forest. "Alright y'all, here goes nothin'. Look out Rarity, that one's fixin' to get away," she warned when one tried to sneak out, but Rarity managed to stop it. "Keep a lead on 'em, Rainbow Dash!" she called out as another one tried to fly away, but the blue pegasus caught it. "Hold on girls, we're almost there."

Running in front of the Parasprite ball, Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom were surprised when they were joined by Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie!"

"Twilight, Sunrise, we don't have much time," Pinkie Pie announced.

"You're telling me," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "The princess could arrive at any moment."

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Exactly. That's why I need you gals to drop what you're doing and help me find some _maracas_."

"Maracas?" Twilight Sparkle repeated. "Pinkie, we've got much bigger problems than missing _maracas_."

"Yeah, we're trying to get rid of this ball of Parasprites," Sunrise Blossom agreed.

Pinkie Pie gasped. "You're right! Getting a tuba has to be our number one goal. Follow me." And she ran off, but then she came back when her friends didn't follow her. "I said, follow me!"

"Pinkie Pie, you are so _random,_ " Rainbow Dash remarked.

"And you are all so stubborn!" Pinkie Pie snapped before running off to find a tuba.

Applejack shook her head as she kept up the herding. "Forget her ladies. Focus. Head 'em up and move 'em out." And they sent the Parasprite ball rolling into the forest, and out of sight.

"All _right_!" Rainbow Dash cheered, hitting her hooves with Fluttershy, who winced a little.

"We did it," Twilight Sparkle said happily. "Nice work, Applejack."

"Couldn't a'done it without y'all," Applejack agreed.

Twilight Sparkle nodded and they started back toward Fluttershy's home. "Now let's get back and clean up the mess they made before the princess arrives."

* * *

It wasn't long before they were back at the house and had gone over what they would need to do in order to having everything ready. "Okay, everyone knows what to do, right?" she asked and they nodded. "We gotta work extra hard to make up for lost time."

Fluttershy landed near the door to her home and opened, gasping and ducking when millions of Parasprites flooded out.

"Not again," Sunrise Blossom moaned, crouching to the ground and covering her head with her forelegs.

Twilight Sparkle ducked to keep from being hit. "Where did they come from?"

"Well, I may have kept just one," Fluttershy confessed, revealing a yellow Parasprite that'd been hiding in her mane. "Heh. I couldn't help myself. They're just so cute."

"We don't have time to keep rounding up these things," Twilight Sparkle complained. "What do we do now?"

Rainbow Dash pulled on a pair of goggles. "We call in the weather patrol." She flew up into the sky, watching as her friends tried to capture the Parasprites, and then she went to work, creating a tornado to swallow up the puffballs. "Time to take out the adorable trash. _YAAAAAA_!" And she started sucking the Parasprites up.

"Way to go, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle cheered while she and the others clung to fences and logs to keep from being shucked into the tornado, took.

"Looks like our problems are solved," Applejack commented as the last of the Parasprites were sucked into the tornado.

"They will be with these cymbals," said Pinkie Pie, trotting up with the cymbals, only to have them get sucked away into the tornado. "Hey! Give me those back!"

* * *

Inside the tornado, Rainbow Dash was getting read to redirect it toward the Everfree Forest, but then she found herself being attacked by the flying cymbals. "Whoa. Yaa! Yow! Whoa! Wow! I can't hold it!" she yelped and ended up being knocked out of the tornado, crashing into a tree. "She's breaking up." And she watched helplessly as the tornado dissolved with the Parasprites flying toward the town in the distance.

"Pinkie Pie, what have you done?" Twilight Sparkle asked, alarmed.

"I've lost a brand new pair of cymbals, that's what I've done," Pinkie Pie complained.

"Will you forget about your silly instruments for one second?" Twilight Sparkle snapped. "You're ruining our efforts to save Ponyville."

Pinkie Pie stared at the purple unicorn like she'd grown a second head. "Me? Ruin? I'm not the ruiner, I'm the ruin- _ee_! Or is it ruiness? Ruinette?" she pondered.

"Come on girls, there's no reasoning with that one," Applejack grumbled. "She's a few apples short of a bushel." And they ran off toward Ponyville.

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie shouted after them. "I'm trying to tell you all that the ruining is on the other hoof. If you'd just slow down and _listen to me_!"

* * *

By the time that the six ponies reached the town, the Parasprites were already consuming everything edible from slices of cakes to the gardens, alarming the ponies, and creating all kinds of chaos in the process.

"What do we do?" Fluttershy wondered, now wishing that she'd never befriended a Parasprite in the first place. "They're eating all the food in town."

Applejack gasped and she ran off toward Sweet Apple Acres. "My apples!"

"We've gotta do something," Twilight Sparkle muttered and got another idea. "I got it! I'll cast a spell to make them stop eating all the food." She then cast the spell, which hit all of the Parasprites and they stopped their eating.

Pinkie Pie ran up with another instrument. "Look, tambourines! If you could all just…" she trailed off when she saw that they weren't listening other, and she screamed in frustration as she ran off, the tambourines shaking.

Twilight Sparkle watched with bated breath as one of the Parasprites flew over to an apple and sniffed it, but it didn't eat the fruit, and she sighed with relief. She then yelped when the Parasprite suddenly ate the nearby basket instead, and soon the rest of the Parasprites were going after everything that wasn't food.

"Heh. Hey, it worked," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. "They're not eating the _food_ anymore."

"I got to protect the Apothecary!" Sunrise Blossom exclaimed, racing off to save the shop.

"Oh no… if they get inside my store… _Everypony for herself_!" Rarity screamed, running off to save the boutique.

* * *

However, by the time she reached the boutique, she was alarmed to find that the Parasprites had gotten there first, and they were consuming the clothing and her supplies. "My outfits! Go on, shoo! Get out of here, you naughty! Naughty!" she shouted, trying to chase them away until one of the Parasprites coughed up gunk to create a new one, and she jumped on top of a stool, shrieking.

Pinkie Pie ran into the boutique at that very moment. " _I'll save you_!" she declared, raced over to pick up a recorder, and then ran back out, leaving Rarity shrieking.

* * *

Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack had set up a barricade with the help of Big Mac and Granny Smith, and they were prepared to defend their farm and their apples. "No woodland creature's gonna eat the Apple Family's crop." she declared, and she stared in shock when the Parasprites flew by, ignoring the apple trees, and consumed the barn instead. "Didn't see that one comin'."

* * *

A/N: Hmm, doesn't seem to be going well in Ponyville does it? R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: PINKIE PIE SAVES THE DAY!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Swarm of the Century

A/N: Sunrise Blossom here posting on the behalf of Dede42, who is currently laid up with a headache from having to deal with the Parasprites, and when she's able to, she'll work on Season 3 some more.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE: PINKIE PIE SAVES THE DAY!**

By the time that Twilight Sparkle got back to the library, the Parasprites were already there, attacking the books and scrolls, and poor Spike was hiding under his basket, swatting at the creatures when they got too close. "Help!"

Twilight Sparkle gasped, horrified when she saw that the creatures were opening the books and scrolls and _literally_ eating the words off the parchment. "They're eating the _words_." Jumping up she managed to capture one by its wings, and she raced back out.

"Help…" Spike whimpered.

* * *

In the Everfree Forest, Zecora was in her hut, balancing upside-down on a stick and mediating when the door was slammed open by Twilight Sparkle, and she toppled to the floor with a pained yelp. "Ugh. Have you gone mad?" she demanded getting up.

Twilight Sparkle released the Parasprite so that she could talk. "Zecora, these little guys are devouring Ponyville, and the princess is on her way. Can you help us, please?" she asked desperately.

Zecora stared at the red creature as it flew over and landed on her nose. "Oh, monster of so little size. Is that a Parasprite before my eyes?" she inquired, staring at it until it flew off.

"I don't know!" Twilight Sparkle yelped as it reproduced a pink version. "Is it?"

"Tales of crops and harvests consumed," said Zecora, recalling what she knew of the creatures. "If these creatures are in Ponyville, you're doomed." And the purple unicorn gulped.

* * *

Exiting the Everfree Forest, Twilight Sparkle grunted and waved off two Parasprites with her tail when she saw in the distance a familiar carriage flying from Canterlot. "Oh no, here she comes." She raced back into the town, where the ponies were fleeing from the Parasprites and trying to put out a fire created by the exploded firework potions at the Apothecary.

Twilight Sparkle knew they were doomed, but she did get a crazy idea. "Okay, here's the plan. Rainbow Dash, you distract them," she instructed as the blue pegasus flew past, screaming with Parasprites on her tail. "Good. Everyone else, we need to build an exact copy of Ponyville right over there," she ordered, pointing at a random location. " _We've got less than a minute_." She then sighed with defeat. "Zecora was right, we're doomed." She then heard fanfare and looked toward the edge of the town. "Oh no, the princess's procession is here. It's all over!" She blinked in confusion when she saw a familiar pink pony appear, armed with different kinds of instruments, and she was playing polka music as she marched past. "Pinkie? We're in the middle of a crisis here. This is no time for your… nonsense?" she began and trailed off when she saw the Parasprites stopped eating and, bouncing in time to the music, began following her friend.

The six ponies followed after Pinkie Pie, who was leading the bouncing line of Parasprites out of town and toward the Everfree Forest. They were amazed that their friend, who'd been acting so random, was getting rid of their problem. "Look."

Just then, the carriage carrying Princess Celestia landed not far from them, and she greeted the twins. "Twilight Sparkle, and Sunrise Blossom, my prized pupils."

Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom both bowed. "Hello, princess."

"So lovely to see you again, as well as your friends," Princess Celestia commented, briefly distracted by the pink pony crashing cymbals together.

"So… how was the trip?" Twilight Sparkle inquired. "Hit much traffic?"

Princess Celestia, however, was watching the bouncing line of Parasprites heading into the forest. "Ah, what is this?" she inquired, giggling when one the Parasprites flew over to nuzzle her wing briefly before rejoining the bouncing line. "Oh ho ho, these creatures are adorable."

"They're not _that_ adorable," Rainbow Dash muttered.

Princess Celestia smiled at her students. "I'm terribly honored that you and the good citizens of Ponyville have organized a parade in honor of my visit."

"Parade?" Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom repeated and then nodded. "Oh. Yes, the parade."

"Unfortunately, that visit is going to have to wait for another time," Princess Celestia continued. "I'm afraid an emergency has come up in Fillydelphia. Apparently there's been some sort of _infestation_."

"An… infestation?" said the twins, wondering if it was another outbreak of Parasprites.

Princess Celestia nodded. "Yes, a swarm of incredibly bothersome creatures has invaded the poor town," she confirmed. "I'm sorry Twilight, Sunrise, to have to put you all through so much trouble."

"Oh, this parade was no trouble at all," said Sunrise Blossom quickly.

Princess Celestia smiled again and got back into her carriage. "Before I have to go, would you both care to give me your latest reports on the magic of friendship in person?" she inquired.

Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom both blinked. "Our… report?"

"Haven't you learned anything about friendship?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Actually, we have," said the twins together and they shared their report together. "We've learned that sometimes the solution to your problems can come from where you least expect it. It's a good idea to stop and listen to your friends' opinions and perspectives…" they both winched as the cymbals crashed again. "Even when they don't always seem to make sense."

Princess Celestia nodded in approval. "I'm so proud of you, Twilight Sparkle, Sunrise Blossom, and I'm very impressed with your friends as well. It sounds like you're all learning so much from each other."

"Thank you, princess," said Twilight Sparkle as the princess left to deal with the problem in the city.

By the time the six ponies turned to Pinkie Pie, the last of the Parasprites had disappeared into the forest, and she stopped playing. "Hey, what happened to the princess?" she asked.

"Emergency in Fillydelphia," Sunrise Blossom informed her.

"Some sort of _infestation,_ " Rainbow Dash added.

"Oh no!" Pinkie Pie gasped. "Have they got Parasprites too? Well, have tuba, will travel." And she stared to leave.

Twilight Sparkle stopped her. "I think the princess can handle it."

"So you knew what those critters were all along, huh Pinkie Pie?" Applejack inquired.

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. "Well, duh! Why do you think I was so frantic to get my hooves on all these instruments? I _tried_ to tell you."

"We know, Pinkie Pie, and we're sorry we didn't listen," Twilight Sparkle apologized as did their friends, all wishing that they had listened to the pink pony in the first place. "You're a great friend, even if we don't always understand you."

"Thanks guys, you're all great friends too, even when _I_ don't understand me," Pinkie Pie replied.

"You saved our reputation with Princess Celestia, and more importantly, you saved Ponyville," Twilight Sparkle added, as they returned to the town, only to see just how much damage had been caused by the creatures. "…Or not." And Pinkie Pie played a sad tone on her trombone.

It took a lot of work, but by the end of the day, all of Ponyville was back to normal, and the ponies were relieved that Princess Celestia hadn't seen the damage. So, when they all went to bed, they were all exhausted, but they were also happy, too.

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap for this story! Oh, so Dede42 has a shift at the movie theater tomorrow morning, so she probably won't be posting until the next day. R&R everyone!


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